🌿 Grape variety

A grape variety is a kind of grape with particular features: the colour and taste of the berries, ripening time, resistance to cold and disease, yield. Almost all wine varieties belong to one species, the common grapevine, Vitis vinifera. They are named by name, for example Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Rkatsiteli.

The variety determines the primary aromas of wine. For example, Muscat smells of flowers, Sauvignon Blanc of grass and gooseberry, Gewürztraminer of rose and spice. They are called primary because they come from the berry itself. The other aromas come from fermentation and ageing.

Within a variety there are clones: plants that differ slightly from one another. One clone gives more berries, another more concentrated ones. Varieties and clones are studied by ampelography, the science of grapevines.

Varieties may have different names in different countries: Grenache and Garnacha, Syrah and Shiraz. New varieties are bred by crossing, and sometimes arise from a mutation of the vine.